Remembering Bob Marley

Stop The Presses!

Mike KrumboltzFebruary 6, 2012

Happy birthday to Bob Marley. The iconic singer and activist was born on February 6, 1945, and would have turned 67 today. As is always the case on the anniversary of the late musician's birth, fans took to Search and Twitter to show their respect.

"Happy Birthday Bob Marley" was one of the top Twitter trends. Fans tweeted everything from their favorite quotes to some lighthearted jokes. One user tweeted, "We named our office printer Bob Marley because its forever 'Jammin' - Happy Birthday Bob Marley."

Yahoo! searches on "bob marley" and "bob marley lyrics" posted big spikes. Some of Marley's most popular quotes include "Free yourself of mental slavery," "love the life you live, live the life you love," and "One good thing about music: when it hits you, you feel no pain."

Marley died in 1981 at the age of 36. There has long been a rumor that Marley's decline in health begin with a lesion on his foot that he suffered during a soccer match. Not true. However, Marley's fatal skin cancer did begin on his toe. He was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and was advised to amputate the toe to prevent the cancer from spreading. Citing religious beliefs, Marley refused.

Later, he did allow a surgeon to perform a skin graft on his toe. Initially, the procedure was deemed a success. However, a short time later, doctors found the cancer had spread to his brain, lung, and stomach. Marley died soon afterward, leaving his fans a tremendous legacy, as well as the bitter understanding that their hero left far too soon.